Playoff fight begins for Wildcats, Eagles

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The Winter Park Wildcats (6-4, 3-1) are headed to the playoffs after narrowly outlasting a determined Ocoee team (2-8, 0-4) in a 15-14 nail-biter on Friday, Nov. 11. And they owe that win to backup quarterback Jeff Whitted, who scrambled for the final two scores to beat the Knights in the final second of the game.

That put the finishing touch on a wild fourth quarter in which the two teams, who had only scored a combined seven points all game, scored three touchdowns to end it.

Though the game would prove inconsequential for the postseason, as the Wildcats had already clinched a playoff spot the week before, the game gave them an extra shove of momentum into the regional quarterfinal.

Now the Wildcats face an Olympia team (6-4, 4-0) that ended the regular season with their most lopsided loss since the second week of the season. The last time the Wildcats faced the Titans, they lost 34-17 in a preseason matchup in 2010.

The Titans will have the home-field advantage for that matchup, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 18. If the Wildcats can pull off a win, they’ll face either Apopka or Timber Creek in the next round.

Edgewater

The Eagles (7-2, 3-1) also had already clinched a spot in the playoffs, but they put the icing on their regular season with a 28-7 smashing of rival Boone on Nov. 11.

Quarterback J.B. Woodman, who has alternated between passing performances where he barely cracked double digits to wild games in which he threw for more than 300 yards, tossed for 81 yards in the game. All purpose offensive player Alton Howard pitched in with a 3-yard pass of his own while rushing for 16 yards and catching 35 yards worth of receptions. Running back John Altman was the driving force on the night, rushing for 161 yards and a touchdown.

They’ll travel to Evans (9-1, 5-0) in the first round of the regional playoffs, with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff on Nov. 18. The Trojans, who had a combined three wins in the past two seasons, shocked the district this season en route to an undefeated championship. The last time the two teams met, when Evans was 5-5 in 2008, the Eagles won 28-0.